In a last-minute bid to
minimize the most painful impacts of federal spending cuts – and
perhaps blame – Republicans will propose this week allowing the
government to choose where to cut.

They plan to introduce proposals to allow flexibility
while maintaining the overall level of cuts mandated by a 2011 law.

The
proposal is in response to the Obama administration’s repeated
complaint that the law doesn’t allow managers the flexibility to shift
the reductions from such areas as teachers or programs to help female
victims of violence. It’s also a move to shelter the GOP from blame
should the cuts cause widespread pain.

“As a leader, he should want as much flexibility as he can get
from Congress,” said Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, the chairman of the
Republican Governors Association. “When did he ever go to his Cabinet
secretaries, his agency heads and say, ‘What would be the least painful .
. . way?’ ”

Democrats criticized the proposal, however, saying it
would lock in the overall level of cuts – $85 billion for this fiscal
year and $1.2 trillion over 10 years – which they argue would hurt the
economy. They’ll propose smaller spending reductions supplemented by tax
increases.

“The overwhelming majority of Americans want us to
compromise before our neighbors, friends and family members get pink
slips or notices that they can only work for a few days a week this
month,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

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With Republicans controlling the House and Senate and President Obama coming to the end of his second term in the White House, there's still plenty of Stupid to fight on all sides with a crumbling global economy imperiling the world, two seemingly endless wars, a federal government nobody trusts or believes in, global climate change putting us on the brink of destruction and a Village media that barely does its job on even the best day.

Needless to say there's a lot of Stupid out there still coming from both political parties, when we need solutions.

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